Who Will be the Next North Pole Star?

Synopsis

Mr. Jack Frost, the big shot TV producer of the North Pole Network, has shown up in the office of an old friend, Santa Claus. He’s looking for his next potential star and plans to give that lucky person their own television show on the NPN. Jack Frost is accompanied by his cameraman, Bud, and the two of them are ready to interview several possible candidates.

As expected, everyone wants to be a star. Mrs. Claus would like to have a holiday home decorating show. There are elves from the wardrobe department that would love their own “Project Runway” series. The kitchen elves want to show off their baking talents to a television audience, and elves from gift wrapping want to shoot some instructional videos. And not to be forgotten, Santa’s reindeer have their hearts set on dancing with a number of superstars on camera. Only Jack Frost knows who will be the next North Pole Star, and his final choice turns out to surprise everyone.

Setting

Cast

Playing Time

Approximately 45 minutes without an intermission

Production Notes (included with the playscript)

Casting your Characters

Your two main characters in Who Will be the Next North Pole Star? are clearly Jack Frost and Bud who are on stage almost the entire length of the play. Cast your most confident and committed actors to these two roles. Many of the parts can be doubled-up if you find yourself with a smaller cast than what the script calls for. For example, with a quick costume change, any of your Elf Models in the third scene could play any of the Reindeer in the fifth scene. You could also combine the roles of Ribbon and String into one role and tweak the script accordingly. The Reindeer are fairly flexible—you could drop a few or add a few (notice Donder, Blitzen, and Rudolph are absent in the original script) according to your needs. If you need a few more smaller roles, have two Elf Models come out in scene three for each fashion design rather than just one.

I think it would be hilarious for the character of Bud to say most of his lines in an even monotone until he reaches his last one, and then he changes to a thoughtful, even poetic delivery style. That will get a laugh. Notice that Jack Frost continues to be a nice guy throughout the play, despite the crazy behavior being displayed by the characters he’s interviewing. In scene three, the harder Pearl flirts with Bud, the funnier that scene will be. Also, have the Elf Models practice spinning, freezing in some funny position, and then exiting in some entertaining manner for their part. For the Elf Baker characters of Sugar, Honey, Babycakes in scene four, choose three actresses who will work well together—they’ll be more convincing as sisters. And definitely let Sugar practice the flour throwing with real flour at least once before show time—fun! In scene five, when it comes time for the Reindeer to dance to the music, encourage them to really go for it. Choose a song that will inspire them to be silly and show off some truly terrible dance moves.

Stage and Props

The stage should be designed to look like the office of Santa Claus—a tree, a December calendar, a photo of Mrs. Claus, etc. Stage left there should be a desk with a chair behind it. Another chair should be placed beside the desk. The desk should be a fairly good size—something that three kids can stand behind and have a little working space. The chairs should be light and easy to move considering they’re re-positioned several times over the course of the play.

I would suggest that Bud’s camera be something professional-looking but lightweight considering he’s carrying it or having to set it on his shoulder for long lengths of time. Cardboard could be your friend here if you need to create something.

In the scene with Sugar, Honey, and Babycakes, it would be a good idea to let them rehearse with real flour at least once before show time. Done smoothly, that will get a huge laugh.

Costumes

Costumes for this production are very straightforward with a Santa costume, elf attire, and reindeer horns all needed. But from there, your imagination can run wild! Most of the characters are showing up for an interview with Mr. Jack Frost, probably wanting to look their best. So, Mrs. Claus could be completely decked out in a fancy holiday dress, pearls, and an up-do. The elves could be looking smart in elf hats and green vests. And the reindeer could be sporting ties. I think it's important that the five elf models still clearly look like elves--just a "fancied-up" version of an elf. You can really have some fun with accessories, feathers, and props for them. Mr. Jack Frost would look quite professional if dressed in a suit while his cameraman Bud could be wearing something more casual like overalls. All in all, there are a number of possibilities for how to dress the various characters. Keep it fun!

Refreshments

Since gingerbread cookies are mentioned in the third scene, it might be nice to serve those as the refreshments after your production. You may even want to label them: “Made for you with love by Sugar, Honey, and Babycakes of the North Pole Kitchen.” Serve them with double egg nogs.

Final Notes

Kids and adults alike will appreciate the humor in this play. Encourage your actors and actresses to go for the laughs, above all else.

Each playscript comes as a downloadable PDF document, and includes an extensive Production Notes section to help with all aspects of the production, as well as an invaluable Organizational Grid with each character’s costume suggestion and any props needed.

With purchase, you are granted the right to copy this script as needed for amateur performances for a period of one year from the date of purchase. More information on the Copyright page.

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